URBANA — Bob McCandless, who shot thousands of portraits of East Central Illinois residents, is closing his photography studio at Lincoln Square after 46 years in business.

But before the doors shut for good, he's offering his proofs and negatives for sale to the subjects. He suggests people call him at the studio before coming by.

McCandless, who was chief photographer for The Courier newspaper in Champaign-Urbana before opening his studio, said he hopes to vacate the space by the end of the month.

"Two reasons: I'm old enough, and I haven't kept up with digital imaging as much as I should have. I still like film because it will last a lot longer than digital images," he said.

McCandless, 83, came to Urbana in 1956 as a photographer for The Courier and later became its chief photographer.

He left the paper in 1965 and opened a studio — first at Washington and Race streets in Urbana, just north of Urbana High School, then on University Avenue in downtown Champaign, and finally at Lincoln Square, initially on the lower level and then upstairs.

Digital photography has hurt the traditional studio business, he said.

"Four or five years ago, there were 12 or 15 professional photographers listed in the Yellow Pages. Last year, they had 51 listed, and most of them had strictly a phone number and no studio," he said.

Over the years, McCandless figures he has shot tens of thousands of photos, including high school portraits, wedding shots, baby pictures and family portraits.

He shot class photos for St. Joseph-Ogden, Deland-Weldon, Jamaica and the old Allerton-Broadlands-Longview districts, as well as individual photos for local high school students.

"I have negatives back from 1965. I'm going to sell them for $10 an envelope, and (buyers) can have any of the proofs or negatives in them," he said. "If I sell them all, I'll be a millionaire, so tell the millions to come around."

McCandless has already sent 93 envelopes to the Champaign County Historical Archives at the Urbana Free Library.

Kathy Travis, who walks daily at Lincoln Square, said she and other friends of McCandless plan to honor him at an informal gathering at 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Lincoln Square food court. There will be a card to sign, and the public is welcome to join in.

"He never seems down," Travis said of McCandless. "He always seems in a good mood."

McCandless said he began his photographic career by shooting for his high school newspaper in Hershey, Pa. His first subject was illusionist-magician Harry Blackstone Sr., who was practicing for a show at a local theater.

When Blackstone saw McCandless and learned he was a high school photographer, he "gave me one of the biggest, broadest smiles I've ever seen" and invited the teen up on stage.

"That was the first picture that I ever got published in anything, and that sold me on that," McCandless said.

Later, McCandless became a photographer for the Evening Standard newspaper in Uniontown, Pa., and eventually served in the Air Force in Korea.

That was the scene of his "most memorable" shot.

In December 1952, McCandless, a public information officer, was summoned by the base commander, who told him to bring all his gear. It turned out President-elect Dwight Eisenhower was arriving by plane.

But to get the photo he wanted, McCandless had to maneuver about and ended up poking a fellow — who happened to be five-star Gen. Omar Bradley.

"When you've got to poke someone, go to the top," McCandless quipped. "I said, 'Excuse me, sir,' and kept on going and got my picture."

McCandless said he photographed three other presidents — John Kennedy, when he visited the University of Illinois campus; Richard Nixon, when as vice president he visited U.S. Rep. Les Arends in Melvin; and Gerald Ford, when he traveled to Champaign County during his 1976 campaign.

McCandless said Nixon "had a terrific personality ... I really enjoyed him, I liked him very much." And McCandless was really pleased when Pat Nixon shook his hand and thanked him — the only photographer so recognized.

McCandless belonged to the National Press Photographers Association and, while at the Courier, served as national chairman of the association's Freedom of Information Committee.

When asked what he enjoys shooting most, McCandless said, "People ... I like to see what emotions and expressions I can get. I try to read their persona and capture that. There's a lot of psychology in getting a picture. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't."

"The main thing is, you've got to like people. I like the youth for their imagination, the older people for their traditionalism. And I love young babies and young children. They're so expressive, so open, so trusting."

McCandless said his wife, Louise, worked with him as a retoucher for several years until her retouching hand was injured in a car accident. She died last August.

"It's been a good life," he said of his career in both the newspaper business and the photography business. "But I've got to cut it off. I'll cut it to one camera and a portable light and join the ranks of the amateurs and have fun."

His most frequent subjects will likely be his grandchildren.

McCandless said he plans to remain active at First United Methodist Church in Champaign, where he taught Sunday school to junior and senior high school students until recently.

He said he enjoys interacting with young people, but these days, it's more difficult to communicate.

"There's too much Twittering and not enough speaking," he said. "I wish schools would teach elocution, but they don't."